Family member discovers 74-year-old near boat, NRP leads investigation

The body of a Rockville man was found Wednesday night in the water next to his sailboat anchored at a Solomons marina.

John James March, 74, was discovered at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday beside his boat at Zahniser’s Yachting Center on Back Creek in Solomons and was pronounced dead at 11 p.m. His body was transported to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy Thursday morning, according to the Maryland Natural Resources Police, the agency conducting the investigation.

March spent his weekdays on his boat at the marina and his weekends back in Rockville, according to Candy Thomson, public information officer for NRP. When his family was unable to reach him Wednesday, a family member went to the marina and discovered the body, she said.

“According to the report, there were no visible injuries, and at this point, there does not appear to be any foul play,” Thomson said. “But of course, the medical examiner has the last word on all of that.”

The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and the Solomons Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene, Thomson said, but are not aiding in the investigation. The NRP is the lead agency, she said, because “it was a boating accident.”